Give Me One Good Reason Why
by Jedi Ani Unduli
Summary: Sequel to a New Master, to all who have waited and hoped and chanted "Sequel, Sequel!" You've waited not in vain; here it is! It is a different version of Episode I of Star Wars. Enjoy. Review, please.
1. Chapter 1 I have to go?

_Here's the first chappie to the sequel, Give Me One Good Reason Why, and I hope it's up to all your expectations!_

_Disclaimer: I own not, nor profit not, from Star Wars, since belongeth to George Lucas, it doeth._

_Thanks to all you writers and reviewers out there who've been encouraging me! No one in my family knows about this, so they don't encourage me (they think 'writing is bad for me/my health/whatever/ etc, but they hardly worried about me before, so why now? Don't worry about me or my problems; I'm just fine, thank you very much! It's The Father who helps me through my day and the Son who forgives me, and the Spirit who empowers me. Three persons, and yet one God. The Holy Trinity. Enough of my rambling. Enjoy!)_

"Why?"

"Because we feel that you should, Qui-Gon, and so does the Chancellor. They'll be at Docking Bay 302 at 04h30 in the morning. Make sure you arrive on time, since the Chancellor is expecting you to go too."

"But -"

"Follow our orders you should, Master Jinn. Have a feeling that help you, this mission will, I do."

"Alright, Master Yoda." He sighed.

"May the Force be with you, Master Jinn."

"And with you also, Masters." He bowed deeply and left the Council chambers, not exactly looking forward to tomorrow.

Ladies and Gentlemen:

May I present to you (drum roll, please)….

The Sequel to A New Master:

Give Me One Good Reason Why

Chapter One

Mace smiled as he heard his apprentice search through his room for some article he forgot to pack, at four in the morning.

"Uh, Master, I can't find it," Obi-Wan called.

"Oh sure you can. Even I know where it is; you just have to look for it," Mace yelled back. He grinned as he glanced down at the little package he held in his hand for Obi-Wan; he knew that his Padawan would like it.

"Oh, here it is!" The door to his Padawan's room opened and Obi looked out, grinning hugely. "Thanks to you Master, I found my holophoto book." He came on out, grinning like a Cheshire cat, holding his flight bag in one hand and waving his found treasure in the other hand. Mace shook his head, amused. _When will that boy ever keep his stuff in one place_, he thought to himself, silently laughing. Oh, Obi-Wan was a neat freak; he just kept losing and misplacing stuff.

"Here Obi," he said, holding out his hand with the present in it. "This is for your fifteenth birthday; I hope you like it." Silence. Tearing open the wrapping paper. Then…

"Thank you very much Master," Obi-Wan said, staring at a brand new datapad and holopic of himself and Mace, standing in front of a goo-soaked Council and grinning widely. He looked mischievously up at his Master. "Could we please play a few more pranks on them before we leave?" Mace hesitated. "I got the wax, goo balls, and false detonators ready."

"Oh, alright," Mace grinned down. "Here's the plan." He whispered something into Obi-Wan's war, which made Obi-Wan grin and smile wickedly.

"Yes Master."

As Qui-Gon made his way to the docking bay, he was confronted by Master Yoda, who was covered in green goo and muttering something to himself.

"Stop, you will, Qui-Gon." The little troll hurried over to the tall Jedi Master.

"Uh-oh, what'd I do this time, Master." He sighed heavily, hoping that it wouldn't end up with him teaching another saber class. Master Yoda playfully whacked his shins with his gimer stick.

"Owwwwwwww, Master! What –"

"Threw a goo ball down into the Council chamber you did, then waxed the floor in front so that broke our legs, most of us did, and set off fake detonators, you did, and now covered, the Council chamber is, with pink dye that does not come out except through meditations." Qui-Gon sighed. Yes, he'd thrown down a goo ball, but thought he'd thrown it down the garbage chute, _not_ the Council chamber chute.

"Master, I didn't mean to throw the goo ball down on you guys; it was a mistake. However, I know nothing about waxed floors or about the Council chamber getting painted a new color." A picture came into his head of the stern, stoic Jedi Council being surrounded by pink walls, and he tried to not smile. As Master Yoda continued his rambling, he wondered if the paint had gone and covered the seats…

_Okay...end and wouldn't you all like to know where they're all going! Patience, my friends, patience - it will happen! Please Review and help me with the writing, please._

_May the Force be with You all and have The HT's blessings on your day._

_Jedi Ani Unduli_


	2. Chapter 2 He's here?

_Here's chappie two (dose) for all you incredibly patient and awesome readers/writers out there! Thanks for your encouragement! You guys are awesome! you rock!_

_Disclaimer: Own Sw, I do not, nor make money off of it. These things may only be a sentence, but they definitely are time-consuming and DRIVE ME UP THE WALL! Only good use is that no lawyers nor lawsuits come after us and try to hack us to death (these are like little Force-suggestions to keep them away from us innocent writers!)_

_Enjoy!!_

"Hey, Padawan," Mace asked jovially as he and his Padawan made their way to the docking bay and their ship, a nicely done Republic Cruiser, "did you make sure to take pictures

"Hey, Padawan," Mace asked jovially as he and his Padawan made their way to the docking bay and their ship, a nicely done Republic Cruiser, "did you make sure to take pictures?"

"Yes Master," Obi-Wan grinned back at his Master, "not to mention I hastened their development by several seconds, and have them here with me right now."

"You have them on you?" Mace asked, astounded. He gave his padawan a cocky grin. "You're going to become a fine, sneaky little trouble maker just like your master one day, and sit on the Council too, aren't you." It was more a statement than a question.

"Yes Master; I want to be like you," he glanced at Mace's bald head and gleaming brown skin, "although I'll pass on being bald and having brown skin." Mace laughed affectionately as he placed his arm around his padawan. They had been together for ten years (give or take a few), and had enjoyed every minute of them. In all those years, Mace had taught Obi all the useful stuff a Jedi needed to know: how to make slime balls, fake detonators; how to keep their shields up when under careful scrutiny by the Council and how to keep a stoic mask on, no matter what. Oh sure, there'd been galactic politics, history, cartography, and all the other class work they'd done, and Mace had seen to it that Obi-Wan had grown taller and wiser and smarter, minus the few pranks to keep the Council on their toes. Okay, there had been a _lot_ of pranks they'd played on the Council: 456. This was number 457, as counting the numerous things they'd done as one prank total. Otherwise, the total would've been 1,099, and they couldn't make that number be small enough on their datapads, their private ones. Anyway, now back to the present. He was going to Naboo, to help with getting rid of the Trade Federation's blockade, hopefully. He had a sudden feeling that all would not go as planned as he boarded the ship, and suddenly felt another's presence on board, waiting for them: _Qui-Gon_.

Qui-Gon stared impassively as Mace and Obi-Wan strode up the landing ramp and into the ship. As he stared at Obi-Wan, he wished that he had not dumped his former padawan all those years ago, but then chided himself for thinking that. _What's done is done; I cannot change the past but live in the present_, he thought sternly. A thought suddenly escaped: _If I had taken him back, would we have been closer than we were all those years ago?_ He sighed. He really wished now that he hadn't been made to come oversee the negotiations between the Trade Federation and Naboo, if he had to deal with these two, and past memories.

Obi-Wan sighed contentedly as he settled into a common room chair, sandwiched between Qui-Gon, who was nearest to their quarters if they needed rest, and Mace, who was closest to the pilot's cockpit. He glanced over at his Master, who looked over at him concernedly.

/**Hello Master. **/

/**Hi Padawan. **/

/**Are you having a bad feeling about this mission, Master?** /

/**No; why? **/

/**I am. **/

/**Hmmm. Tell me if you have any visions concerning this mission, okay?** /

/**Yes Master. Um, excuse me if I'm being nosy, but why is Master Qui-Gon coming with us?** / He felt Mace sigh mentally.

/**Because the Council wanted us to work with the 'top negotiator', and plus they wanted us to be paired up in case he'd take you back as his apprentice. **/

/**Forgive me, Master, but I'd rather be paired up with you than with him. I like you more…better, I guess. Sorry if I offended you.** /

/**You haven't, my Padawan. I'm also fond of you, and will NOT give you back to him, even if he plus the Council plus all the other top Jedi plus the entire galaxy tell me to give you up. **/ Obi-Wan blushed a tiny bit.

/**Thank you, Master.** /

/**You're welcome, my Padawan. **/ They stopped communicating when they noticed that Qui-Gon was giving them a funny look, either because he had a question or he had sensed what they were doing. Obi-Wan turned on his datapad and started to read some mission material, while Mace surfed the HoloNet and Qui-Gon just texted Tahl via datapad. It was so quiet; Master Yoda could walk on in and not be able to say anything. For the one-thousand-nine-hundred-ninetieth time, Obi-Wan wondered if he had done something irreparably stupid, and perhaps he should've stayed in the AgriCorps when he was assigned there in the first place. Maybe there he wouldn't be so clumsy and doggone stupid, like he'd just been. He sighed again, a bit louder this time. This would be a long ride.

Mace sighed when he felt doubts start and worm their way into Obi-Wan's brain. No matter how hard he'd tried to get rid of them, they almost always managed to make a comeback. That's when he realized that, to get rid of them permanently, he should compliment his Padawan, even in the small things, so that his confidence would gradually return and start to build. Now that Qui-Gon was with them, the self-doubting had started up again, and it seemed to double. Why was it that Qui had to plant these little itty-bitty seeds of doubt in Obi's brain years ago, and then feed them continuously whenever he'd see Obi-Wan? What was it with Qui that he had to make his students doubt themselves? He sighed once more, glancing back at his datapad. _Why did the Council put us together? This is torture; this is agony, especially for Obi. Why was Qui-Gon forced to come along with us on a simple diplomatic mission to Naboo? Why is he here? Why did he come? I hope that Master Yoda won't mind me choking him to death when I get back._ He smiled, a little half-smile, and settled backing his chair.

It was going to be a long ride.

_Okay, I hope you don't mind the dialogue. I would write more, but time is of the essence, and I don't know when I'll get the computer back again, so I tried to make this long and interesting. Btw, the title is **Give Me One Good Reason Why...**, and then the chapters are like little finishers to those questions. Neat, huh? Hope you liked it, and please REVIEW! tbc..._


	3. Chapter 3 You guys are arguing?

_Okay, sorry that it took so long for all of you dedicated and hard-core Star Wars fans, but here it is! Finally! Chapter three on my story. Hope it's good enough, I do. (note: I re-did this chapter)_

_Disclaimer: Star Wars will never be mine; I say this almost all the time so there (one of those few absolutes that end up turning true)! Can't make any lawsuits nor money off of me, all those with itchy litigious fingers!_

As Obi-Wan walked to his room and palmed the door open, he felt someone's eyes on him, and whirled around, narrowing his eyes to spot any thing out of place, any object not where it belonged. Strange. No one was there behind him, but then what was this presence he felt bearing in on him? He looked around, trying to hone on in the Force presence he felt. Still unable to locate it, he shook his head and went through the door and into the confines of his room to meditate, like his master had suggested. He pushed the matter to the back of his mind and decided to ask his master later, if he had time before they'd meet the Trade Federation that is. As he crossed his legs into the meditation position and drifted off, he heard faint noises coming from the common room. He blinked, coming out of his reverie. It was his master and Master Jinn, and, oh Force, help them; they were _arguing_. On a mission, of all things. And, as he looked at the wall at the chrono, he realized that they would be arriving at Naboo in less than fifteen minutes. He sighed and made his way out of his room and towards the cockpit. This mission would definitely _not_ be boring, no matter what circumstances might be thrown their way.

* * *

"Tell me again, Qui-Gon Jinn, what the heck you were doing?" Mace asked coldly. _Uho_, the aforementioned master thought. _When he uses my full name, things get a whole lot worse_.

"I was only following your padawan to make sure that –" Qui-Gon began before Mace cut him off.

"Following him to do _what_? Freak him out? Criticize him? You certainly accomplished at least one," Mace growled, his brow furrowing and his tone becoming sharper with every passing second. He was not just angry anymore; he was _furious_. "You know, Qui, I cannot believe that you, of all beings, would follow my padawan for absolutely no reason at all. There had to have been a reason for you to single out Obi and to follow him and watch him like a hawk. No offense, Qui, but the only reason I can think of you watching him probably was to see if he's made any mistakes yet. Now, what was your real reason for following Obi-Wan? And don't you dare tell me 'nothing' again, or I'll dismember you and hang you upside down in the Council chambers to be laughed at." As Qui-Gon compared his feelings on the matter, Mace inwardly sighed. This would take awhile, especially if Qui-Gon felt the need to defy his 'order', and he definitely didn't need that, especially since they would arrive at Naboo in less than ten minutes. He sighed again, a bit more audible this time. Why did he have to put up with this?

* * *

Obi-Wan strained his ears as he heard the last of the main arguing die away. He stood, finally accepting the fact that he would not be able to meditate as long as there was tension between his Master and former master. He slowly stood, palmed the door open, and strode through and down the hallway, barely stifling a sigh as he neared the closed door to the common room. He could almost hear the silent conversation they were having in there, and decided to wait through it, as one would settle down and wait through a particularly fierce dust storm on the planet of Ryloth. He could hear faint strains of it coming in through the door:

"But Mace, I wasn't hurting him or anything."

"Dang it, Qui; I don't know how many times I have to tell you: It's your presence that makes Obi feel inadequate and unworthy." Obi-Wan shivered slightly; he knew from past experience how true those words were.

"Mace –"

"Qui-Gon –"

As they continued their now almost-silent argument, Obi-Wan leaned against the wall, looked at the wall chrono, and almost panicked. It was now five minutes until they would arrive at Naboo and meet with the Neimoidians. He really, really hated to barge in like this, but he knew he had no choice, especially since he didn't think that any one of them was paying attention to the time. He sighed, straightened his robes, hoped he looked presentable, and after surrounding himself with his brown cloak he palmed the doors open and strode on through, making sure his face was completely and utterly expressionless. Mace and Master Jinn turned to look at him, both faces almost expressionless but not quite; he, Obi-Wan, knew better than to take either Master at face value.

"Masters," he bowed, his face quite solemn, "I must ask you both to stop arguing, as we are approaching the Trade Federation. Also, I can hear you from my quarters," he said softly, pointedly, hoping that his Master would get the point. Thankfully, he did.

"Alright, my Padawan, we'll stop, and would you please go get me some herbal tea? My throat is a bit sore from shouting at Qui here." He winked at Obi, who bit his lip to keep from laughing and ducked into the cooking unit, while Qui-Gon gave him a glare that would melt Hoth itself and continued to look disgruntled. Mace met him with a look that would freeze Tatooine and its two suns in one, small ice cube. Qui-Gon, trying to escape the glare directed at him, glanced at the wall chrono, and sighed. There was less than three minutes until they would have to meet with the Neimoidians.

"Bad Council for making me come along, bad Obi-Wan for acting so badly, bad Mace for picking a fight with me," he mumbled as he went and sat in one of the seats. He looked up at the wall chrono again after staring into space for, like, almost forever (at least, it seemed to be forever to him). There was less than a minute left.

*******************

"Captain, tell them we wish to board," Qui said, making sure to keep all annoyance out of voice, as the captain and her crew might think it was directed it at them. To be honest, he would have let Mace do this, but Mace had coerced him into doing this.

"Yes, sir," said the captain. On screen, a picture of a Neimoidian, Nute Gunray – one of the leaders of the Trade Federation – appeared. He looked quite nervous, no matter how he tried to disguise it. _Good_, Qui-Gon thought. He was feeling better now.

"With all due respect for the Chancellor's ambassadors, please allow us to come aboard, Viceroy," he asked, managing to keep the smugness out of his voice.

"Permission granted," the Neimoidian said hesitantly. "You may dock in Bay 104498." The screen flickered off.

"So." Qui-Gon heard Mace behind him. "We were granted access." He nodded; his friend's padawan snorted.

"I thought he would almost faint while he was talking with you," Obi-wan smirked.

"It's probably because he doesn't like the fact that he has to let us on his ship – we _are_ Jedi, after all – and is even more frightened at the prospect of meeting us face-to-face."

"Wow." Obi-Wan fell silent, pondering that statement. "I've heard that we Jedi are respected and feared over most of the galaxy, but this is ridiculous!" After a slight chuckle from the Masters, the cockpit fell silent. Qui-Gon, though he would not admit it, felt something other than the Neimoidian's fear. He felt a whiff of something else, something that didn't feel quite right, but he brushed it off as he followed Mace and Obi-Wan out of the cockpit to wait for the entry ramp to unfold.

After all, how important could it be?

_Ooh; he doesn't know yet. Someone will die, another one will come close to dying, and there's a nasty Sith Lord who's manipulating the entire thing! Suspense, suspense, blah blah blah... Please review, so I know you're reading, and this is another tbc..._

_P.S. Sorry if there's any bad spelling. Please let me know about that, and if the story's completely gone off the deep end. Ani Unduli_


	4. Chapter 4 We're sneaking around?

_Here's chappie two, at 7:48 at night! Hope it's good, am working on Geonisis story._

_Disclaimer: SW I do not own, so there!_

"I have a bad feeling about this mission, Masters," Obi-Wan stated as the door shut behind the droid, who had gone to get them some drinks. Qui-Gon raised an eyebrow at him. "It's just a feeling I had, sorry," Obi-Wan added hastily. Mace wrapped an arm around the teen, giving him a short hug.

"Obi-Wan," he said firmly, "even though personally I don't feel anything, or if I do, it's very muted, I trust your instincts. Just keep giving us updates, okay?" he asked, giving the young boy a wink. Obi-Wan bit his lip to keep from laughing aloud and nodded; Qui-Gon felt a bit miffed, but quickly dispersed that idea. _Why am I feeling this way_, he thought to himself. He glanced at the pair to see if they had noticed his tightening of the shields, but they were too busy now grabbing drinks off of the tray that the droid (who had now come back in) offered to them. He kept his face emotionless and took a drink from the proffered tray. He sipped and gazed around warily. Things seemed to be in good order…so far. He wondered what in the galaxy was keeping the Neimodians. Suddenly, he felt a disturbance in the Force, and whipped out and ignited his lightsaber as Mace and Obi-Wan did so at the exact same time.

"Did you –" began Obi-Wan.

"Yes," Mace answered grimly. "They exterminated our entire crew, not to mention our ship." They gazed at each other, then around at their surroundings. Suddenly, they heard a faint hissing sound.

"Poison gas," Qui-Gon said unnecessarily.

"Hold your breath," Mace instructed, as they powered down their lightsabers. They did so, and stretched out with the Force. Qui-Gon sincerely prayed that he wouldn't die, especially right now, since he really wanted to see Tahl again – in one piece.

Nute Gunray looked toward the security vids nervously, hoping that the Jedi were dead so he wouldn't have to deal with them. So far, apparently they were. Clouds of poisonous gas billowed out. Satisfied, he turned to the other screen, to his droid commander.

"Commander, go shoot their remains," Gunray ordered.

"_Roger, roger_," the droid replied in its monotone voice. It turned to its fellow droids. "_Come on_," it ordered, and led the way into the smoke-filled room. It had barely stepped inside when its head was swiped off by a sizzling green lightsaber.

"Kark!" Gunray hissed. "Send out the droidekas to finish them off. And seal the blast doors!" he added as an afterthought.

"That won't be enough, sir," Rune Haako replied sadly as the blast doors quickly slid shut, banging and sealing themselves inside the main bridge room. "That won't be nearly enough."

When the floor of the corridor shook with the shutting of the blast droids, Mace shook his head, almost amused. Blast doors could not keep Jedi out, unless if they were made with cortosis. He stuck his lightsaber in, slowly melting away the metal, as his padawan and Qui-Gon took up positions around him, preparing to defend him as the droidekas rolled on up and took up defensive positions. As Obi-Wan deflected the first shot back at the droideka in front, however, it bounced off of its shield.

"Blast!" Qui-Gon hissed out in frustration. "They've got shields." Behind him, Mace finished cutting through the first blast door, used the Force to throw the metal at the droids, crunching several of them underneath. He yelled, "Go, Qui, Padawan! Into the hole!" After deflecting shots from the remaining droids, Qui-Gon covered Obi-Wan as the young one dove through the hole. Then, Mace covered him as he dove through the hole. Finally, Mace dove on in, narrowly missing the several shots that bounce harmlessly off of the metal wall. They sat inside the narrow, cramped space between the holey wall and the blast door.

"Well," Mace said, grinning, "One down…"

"Twelve more to go," Obi-Wan finished for him, grinning at him. They sat awhile longer, enjoying the slight break.

"Well," Qui-Gon began, clearing his throat, "we should continue."

"Agreed," Mace said grimly. He began to stand, then staggered against the far wall. Obi-Wan sprang up to help him.

"I-I was hit in the arm with a blast," Mace said tiredly. Obi-Wan didn't say anything; he just knelt on the floor next to his now-seated master, rolled up his sleeves, and started to heal his Master's arm.

"Qui-Gon, start cutting through the next door," Obi-Wan hissed, almost done. "I'll be able to cover you in a moment or two." He stopped soon after Qui-Gon had started cutting through the door, ignited his lightsaber, and positioned himself at the entrance.

"I'll guard," he informed them, "but if we want to get out of here quick, we should crawl through the ventilation shafts to reach the hanger, get a ship and ride down to Naboo." Both men stared at him. "Gunray is now having the droids invade Naboo," he explained after a moment, eyes closed. His eyes fluttered open, blue-green orbs staring at the two Masters. "Please start doing so; I'll cover you; there's reinforcements out there, so this wall's going down in a moment or two." His Master grabbed his arm.

"Padawan, you'd better be following close behind us," he said sternly. "I don't want to lose you like I almost did that other time." Obi-Wan nodded.

"I will Master, but please hurry." He glanced towards the doorway, lightsaber still drawn. "The droids will have this door blasted through in a matter of minutes now."

"Yes, we'll get going." Mace started through, with Qui-Gon on his heels. After deflecting the blasts, Obi-Wan crawled in after them, and not a moment too soon, for once Obi-Wan had crawled near to the middle the wall crumbled underneath the impact of the blaster fire and soon droids charged on through. They kept crawling, being perfectly silent until the reached the docking bay, leapt down, and snuck towards the ships.

"We'll split up," Mace said, pointing to several ships on the far side of the hangar. "Qui, you'll take the one on the left; Obi, the one on the right, and I'll take the one in the middle." He looked at each of them, especially at Obi-Wan. "Make sure you're both quiet; otherwise you'll be engaging hundreds of battle droids at once, and believe me, that's not good." Obi-Wan gave his master an impish grin.

"Master, all I did was trip over my robe," he began.

"…which alerted the security droids, which alerted the rest of the droids, which caused the entire hanger to track you down, which caused the Neimodians to spot you, which caused the entire battalion of droids to go after you, which caused –" Mace said, letting his voice trail off at the end.

"Okay okay, maybe I was a little clumsy on that mission," Obi-Wan admitted.

"A _little_ clumsy?" Mace's eyebrows shot up. "I think that caused me to give you…what was it?"

"Two hours of meditation by myself, three hours of meditation with you, practice with Master Fy-Tor-Ana for five hours, not to mention strict confinement to our quarters for over a week," Obi-Wan stated with an air of gloom around him.

"It wasn't _that_ bad, Padawan," Mace said, grinning. "Well, we should get on our ships, or we'll miss our only ride to the surface."

"Agreed," Qui-Gon said, starting towards the ships. As he crawled towards the ships, he saw Mace's and Obi-Wan's shadows dart past, on the other side of the hanger. He smiled to himself. Well, this mission was not dull, so far. Hopefully they would be able to get at least a little relaxation time in before they'd ever half to fight again. As he settled into his ship quietly, he let himself relax for a moment. Well, at least nothing had gone terribly wrong, so far.

_Roger, roger_. He opened one eye to see himself surrounded by several battle droids, super battle droids, and droidekas. He sighed to himself as he ignited his lightsaber and ran the first droid through. His words definitely were coming back to haunt him on this one.

_tbc...please review, soon!_

_Ani_


	5. Chapter 5 We're getting chased?

_Yay, chappie five is here! At long last! Yayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy! Sorry that it's short, no brain-waves yet, but am thinking! Thanks to all of you who keep on reviewing: JediLuminaraUnduli, Ann Jinn, Darth KenObi-Wan, the ultimate halo freak, beauty0102, Anara Skywalker, CloneCommander, Padawan A. Kenobi, and a whole lot more. Sorry if I didn't get your name down, reviewers!_

_Disclaimer: This is NOT, N-O-T, mine at ALL, The One Who Created All Star Wars Movies owns them (G. L. for you very severly I-cannot-guess-it ones)_

Obi-Wan was running in the swamps of Naboo, his Master far ahead of him, and Jinn was nowhere to be seen. On his tail, almost on top of him, was an MTT Droid Transport, which was very large, knocking down several trees in its path, and causing all of the swamp creatures to panic and flee. One of them, a floppy-eared Gungan ( he remembered his reading on Nubian life forms while on their way to the Trade Federation's command ship), looked up from his morning snack, panicked, and latched himself onto Obi-Wan, slowing him down.

"Get off," Obi-Wan yelled, looking behind him. Any second now…

"Noooo, nooo, save mesa," the creature cried. Obi-Wan tried to pry him off, but that only made the Gungan cling harder. Finally, he dropped to the ground, bringing the creature with him. He felt the exhaust pass over him as the ship continued on its path, unaware that it was about to crush several creatures now trying in vain to flutter away. He faintly heard screams as he carefully stood up, now completely separated from his Master and Jinn. _Great, just great Kenobi_, he thought to himself as he helped the Gungan up. _You got separated from your Master and Master Jinn, and all because of a stupid Gungan._

"Meesa berry berry sorry," the Gungan said meekly, holding his hands in back and shuffling his feet. Obi-Wan instantly felt a wave of compassion overtake him for this Gungan.

"What's your name?" he asked, all ire at the Gungan now gone.

"Mesa Ja Ja Binks. Whosa yousa?" Jar Jar asked.

"I am Padawan Kenobi, Jar Jar," Obi-Wan said dismissively, glancing around for his master and Master Jinn. "Now, I must go find my Master, if you'll excuse me…" He quickly jogged forward with Jar Jar trailing behind him.

"No, no, mesa stay wisa yousa," Jar Jar said eagerly. "Mesa can dosa many thingsa."

"Like getting us into trouble?" Obi-Wan asked wryly.

"Oh no, well kinda, you see, mesa a berry berry clumsy."

"So I gathered." Obi-Wan scanned the forest. So far no sign of his Master or Master Jinn. Suddenly, several droidekas dashed out into the clearing, followed by a tall, dark-skinned man.

"Master!" Obi-Wan cried. "You're here!"

"And about time, too," Mace said, grinning. "Now, would you please be so kind as to help me destroy the rest of these droids here? They sort of give me a headache." In reply, Obi-Wan quickly moved to his Master's side, and together they defeated the rest of the droids. Jar Jar watched from a _very_ safe distance.

"Wowsa, mesa amazed bysa yousas skillsas," he exclaimed, running over there and giving them each a huge hug to thank them.

"Oomf," grunted Mace, pulling himself back. "Jar Jar, you are absolutely a nut. What's the big idea of – "

"Hey!" They turned and saw Qui-Gon running towards them, several STAPs chasing him. "I could use a little help over here," he called, on a set course right in Mace's path.

"Go, Obi, show him what you can do," Mace got out before he collided with Qui-Gon. Obi-Wan grinned mischievously.

"Yes, Master," he replied, smirking. He ignited his lightsaber, drawing the droids' on the STAPs attention, and charged, hacking the droids into pieces, and landing atop one of the vehicles, stabilizing the other two with the Force. Qui-Gon stared at him, amazed.

"I never knew that he could do that, Mace," he said, amazed. Mace looked over at him grimly.

"Now you do, Qui," he said stiffly. "And next time, please do NOT underestimate my padawan." Qui-Gon put his hand on Mace's shoulder.

"I promise I won't, Mace," he said softly as Obi-Wan went over to the Gungan to talk to him. "I promise I won't."

After that…_long_ discussion with Boss Nass, the three Jedi went into the little tiny submarine-type underwater ship (a bubble-canopied transport), and made their way over to the capital of Naboo to rescue the queen. Before they could make their way to the capital, however, they had to dodge tons of underwater monsters which kept them so occupied that they forgot the capital's name. Finally, they reached the surface, popped the canopy and hopped on out, enjoying the fresh air.

"Oh, we're here," Obi-Wan said in surprise.

"Yes, we have finally arrived at the capital of Theed." Mace said grimly, drawing his lightsaber but not igniting it just yet.

"Oh…it's Theed?" Obi-Wan asked surprised, then suddenly cleared his head. "That's right; the capital of Naboo is Theed." He shook his head, bewildered. "Why in the name of the Force did I forget something as simple as that?"

"Because," Mace said grimly. "Qui-Gon was busy talking with Jar Jar, we had that conversation with Boss Nass, and now we're here –" He broke off as he heard the hum of a lightsaber cutting through something.

"…cutting down droids," Obi-Wan finished for him, holding his azure blade high, eyes carefully scanning the area for any more. "Master, I do not think that this mission will be easy, while I'm sorry to say such a thing." He looked down at the ground, closed his eyes, and stayed still.

"They got the queen," Mace realized via their bond. "Well then, we're going to be quite busy from here on out."

Padmé was watching the droids next to her very carefully, as if to spot a section through which she could break and dash away, hopefully to get off this planet. She barely heard the Neimodian and Sio Bibble talk behind her as she thought; _I hope the Jedi are on their way, if their negotiations went this bad, because we desperately need them currently_. Suddenly, three Jedi and a Gungan dropped down from a balcony above. Startled, she had barely turned her attention to them when the commander and his army droids were nothing but miniature scrap heaps of metal.

"Your Highness," they addressed her queen, and so she listened carefully. "We are the Jedi ambassadors that the Chancellor has sent."

"I'm afraid that your negotiations were in vain," Bibble sniffed, walking up to them.

"The negotiations never took place, Councilor Bibble," Obi-Wan replied evenly.

"Come on, we must get to the hangar before the droids come after us," said the bald-headed one urgently, directing his padawan. "Padawan, you take the left side while Qui, you take the right. Okay, now, could one of you handmaidens show us the way?" Padmé stepped forward. "Alright, young one, you may lead," the brown-haired one said gently. As she led them amongst the pillars, the Gungan following close behind her, she wondered if the Jedi had a plan. _They must_, she thought, _otherwise all is lost, for me, my people, and Naboo. I hope they have a plan to get us out of here._

Otherwise, they would all be dead meat.

_Don't like the ending, but needed it to end so I could have chappie six! Please review! tbc..._


	6. Chapter 6 We're dawdling here?

_Here's chappie six! Thanks to CloneCommander for checking it over, and to JediLuminaraUnduli and JediX-ManSerenaKenobi and many others for the encouragement._

_Disclaimer: Not mine, will never be mine, not even in a millenia or two._

Getting to the queen's ship would be no easy task. There were droids guarding the hangar where it was kept, hundreds of them, and unfortunately, they held captive all of the Naboo pilots. Keeping themselves out of sight of the other droids, Obi-Wan conversed with the Queen, Sio Bibble, and the handmaidens and Panaka while Qui-Gon and Mace silently conferred, though the correct term was arguing…again.

"I think that we should just take out the droids and then get out of here," Mace hissed.

"No, we should get her onto the cruiser and then take on the droids," Qui-Gon snapped back. Obi-Wan sighed. Why was he being the mediator between his current master and his former master, again? This seemed to become a habit with their small group. Gently prodding his former master and his real master apart, he stood between them.

"Masters," he said cordially. "The Queen and her entourage are looking at us weirdly."

"Well, if we could actually _agree_ on something," Qui-Gon began, but Mace waved him off.

"Obi-Wan's right, Qui. We nee to figure out a solution, and quick. Did they tell you who would stay behind, Obi?" At Qui-Gon's death glare, he said defensively, "Well, _someone_ has to stay behind."

"Sio Bibble and a few handmaidens are staying behind," Obi-Wan confirmed. "The Queen and some of her…favorite handmaidens are staying behind."

"Good," Mace sighed. "I'm glad we got that figured out!"

"Also," continued Obi-Wan, "the Queen wishes that you two will decide what to do, and soon." After noticing their we-will-kill-you-for-saying-that looks, he shrugged and raised his hands, palms up, up to his shoulders. "Hey, don't shoot the messenger please." He went back over to discuss some more with the group that was going with them. Qui-Gon and Mace looked at each other, then at Obi-Wan, and then back at each other.

"Sorry," Mace said, holding out his hand.

"Sorry," Qui-Gon said, clasping his friend's hand in his own in a warm handshake. They smiled at each other. They were friends again.

"Hopefully we don't bicker more on this mission," Mace said, sneaking a glance at the hangar. "Now, we need to figure out a way to get to the ship, get the Queen on, and safely off the planet."

"Right," Qui agreed, looking back out into the hangar once more. "Now, I believe I know how we can get on that ship..." Mace looked at him, with raised eyebrows, then nodded, as he knew what his friend was thinking. Both men turned towards the other side of the doorway.

"Obi-Wan," drawled Mace. "We have a job for you..."

_You like? Then review please!_


	7. Chapter 7 We Have To Change the Script?

_I am sorry to all my faithful readers out there that have been waiting patiently for this. It took a while, but here it is! I am working on updating, so don't worry: updates will be coming to all my stories in the next millenia or two.. Anyway, welcome to chapter seven, and I hope you enjoy!_

_Special thanks to Jedimastersandy, PeaceGuardian, CloneCommander, and all you other authors out there who have been reviewing my work constantly. Many thanks!_

_Disclaimer: This is NOT, I repeat, NOT, mine. All George Lucas', it is._

"Aw man!" Obi-Wan complained once he heard the plan. "I have to do that?!! You have got to be kidding me. I do NOT, repeat NOT, want to protect the Queen. You guys have to do that job while I go free the pilots. It's in the script I tell you! I swear it is!"

"Riiiiiiight," Mace said skeptically. "Padawan, there's NO WAY you could know what the author's going to do to us." Suddenly, a playful gleam entered his eyes. "Since you seem to be all for following the script, Paddy, I think we should mix up the parts up a bit."

"Whaa-" Before Obi-Wan could react, Mace pushed him in front of the Queen, effectively cutting him off, and dashed under some hanging cables.

"_I'll_ free the pilots," Mace mouthed to him before he dashed out of sight. Obi-Wan shook his head, frustrated. His master could definitely twist everything around, no doubt about that. He sighed out loud; the Queen gave him a funny look.

"Just follow my lead," he told her. She nodded, and he set off towards a very nice-looking Nubian aircraft guarded (conveniently) by several droids, leaving Qui-Gon behind, who still looked confused. His heart pounded as he crossed the beautifully patterned stone floor towards the gleaming Nubian, a plan shaping itself in his head as he thought out every miniscule detail, added parts and cut out the ones that wouldn't work (such as a.} running in the other direction screaming like an idiot). He let his arms relax as he neared the droids, avoiding the temptation to caress the hilt of his lightsaber as they approached. It wouldn't do to make the droids use their itchy trigger fingers and start blasting everyone in sight, although that _would _be pretty funny. He snorted, trying unsuccessfully to keep his laughter to himself. The Queen glanced at him, slightly concerned. He shook his head, his lips twitching upwards. This was not going to be dull.

As he approached the droids, the lead one noticed him and stepped forward to meet him. "Where are you headed to?" it asked in its robotic voice. Obi-Wan sighed slightly.

"I'm taking the following group to Coruscant on the behest of the Supreme Chancellor," he said neutrally.

"Wait! You are not allowed to go offworld. Surrender, Jedi, or be blasted into oblivion!" the droid cried, raising its blaster. Obi-Wan rolled his eyes.

"Is it just me, or are these droids being programmed to be smart?" he muttered under his breath.

"What was that?" the droid asked. Obi-Wan rested his hand upon the hilt of his lightsaber.

"Well, why don't I just make this simple?" He ignited his lightsaber and thrust it through the droid, then brought it up so the droid's blaster and firing arm was severed. "Your Highness, get on board! I'll take care of the rest of these droids." He casually brought his lightsaber up in time to deflect several blaster bolts straight back at the droids. The queen, seeing no reason to contradict him, rushed up the open ramp with her attendants.

Meanwhile, Mace was enjoying driving the droids up the wall with several lame jokes he and Master Mundi had come up with to mess with their fellow Jedi's heads. He shook, trying hard to contain his mirth as the droids confusedly ran around in circles, leaving the pilots unguarded. He inched towards the closest one, and whispered, "Run when I give the word, and make sure tell the others. I'll get rid of them while you guys escape. Oh, and by the way, we need a good pilot or two to help the Queen get out of here and safely to Coruscant." The young pilot nodded. _Good kid_, Mace thought fondly. _Too bad that he had to be caught up in this war._

"If it's a good pilot you're looking for, I suggest Ric Olié. He's one of the best pilots ever. Just make sure to take two others along, just in case he gets reckless all over again. He's over there, the guy with the slightly gray, blond-brownish hair cut close to his head, and with the brown flight suit." Mace pointed, careful to make sure that the droids wouldn't suspect anything.

"You mean that guy?" The kid grinned.

"Yup, that's 'Captain Obvious'," he said. Mace gave him an inquiring look. The guy merely shrugged.

"You'll figure it out soon, especially once you get near the blockade." Mace nodded thoughtfully.

"Hmmm, well, who should I take, uh…"

"Kaj. I'm Kaj Teyh."

"Well, nice to meet you, Kaj, although I wish it was under better circumstances," Mace grinned. "Now, who should I take along with Olié?"

The young man held up all four fingers and a thumb, and started ticking them off with names. "Cad is one; he's good at flying through blockades. Also, Ian is another one, because he's excellent at tactical maneuvers, and also…"

"I see." Mace looked towards the droids. "I have an idea. Get Olié, Ian, and Cad, and GET TOWARDS THE BLASTED SHIP!" With that, he ignited his lightsaber and charged towards the droids. "Everyone else, get away from here!" he hollered, slicing down two droids and charging after three more. The pilots heeded his words well. By the time he had taken down the rest of the droids, they had all disappeared into the shadows. Everyone, that is, except for the four pilots which were now on board the ship. Mace grinned as he ran up the ramp. Time to get off this planet and back to Coruscant!

Obi-Wan was checking over all the systems in the cockpit. So far, so good. Nothing misplaced; in fact, it looked in pretty condition considering the Federation droids had been in this thing. He looked up from the control panels as four men rushed in, pilots, as he guessed from their outfits.

"Come here," he ordered. "The Queen needs to get to Coruscant immediately. We need you to get us out of here in one piece, and pronto!" Two rushed forward to take the pilot and co-pilot seats while another one went to a corner to check the screens over there. The last guy, tall with a slightly dark complexion and dark, curly hair, started to back away towards the exit. "Oh no, you don't!" Obi-Wan exclaimed as he snagged the guy's arm and brought him to another set of screens. "I need you to check these systems over here."

"But Master Windu never told me that I could come, just to bring my comrades, so I must go," the man protested, trying to pull away. However, Obi-Wan had a good grip on him by that time, and forced him to sit down.

"Sorry, Mr. You're stuck with us, for better or for worse, and believe it or not, we'll need all the pilots we can get, which are all currently on board with us at the moment." He paused, smiling as he felt a familiar presence enter the ship.

"My master is now on the ship. Begin takeoff procedures."

_Oooohh, what's going to happen? As those of you who have read both the script and watched the movie, I twisted it around a little bit. However, I think it's a bit better this way. Next chapter, Qui-Gon will be in there. Is he going to be left behind? Please read and review, and feel free to press the cute, little, green button._


	8. Chapter 8 We have to go to Tatooine?

_Finally! I'll try to update sooner; sorry for the long wait! Chappie 8 is here for reading; enjoy!_

_Disclaimer: You know it, I know it, so why do I need to type it again and again?!_

"Hey, Kaj, hurry up," Obi-Wan barked as he felt his master enter the cockpit. "How much fuel do we have? Are we ready to take off yet? Olié, start the engines. We'll need to make a fast exit, and quickly!"

"Yes, Master Jedi," Olié responded, flipping switches. Kaj, meanwhile, started reading off the figures for fuel status for each engine as Master Windu barged into the cockpit. He took one look at Kaj, then glanced over at Obi-Wan and raised his brow. Obi-Wan shrugged.

/_**Master, you would have never let him get off if you were here just a few moments ago.**_/

/_**I know, my padawan**_/ He felt his master take in a deep breath. /_**Besides, I sense that he's going to be of some use to us on this mission, and I couldn't just leave him behind to get nabbed again by the droids, so…**_/

/_**You indirectly chose him, again.**_/ Obi-Wan thought back, humor tingeing the message.

/_**What else could I have done, Padawan?**_/ Mace's thought was serious, now./_**He's about your age, a little younger, I think, and he reminded me an awful lot like you. How could I have left him there?**_ /

/_**Good point**_/ his padawan conceded, turning to look back at Kaj, who had finished reading off the fuel tank and system status statistics. /_**Still…**_/

/_**I know, I know**_/ his master grinned at him. /_**Face it, kid, I'm just a sucker for nice people who happen to have either some or all of your characteristics.**_/

Obi-Wan snorted, which caused the others to turn, curious, in their seats to look at him. He waved them back to keep on doing whatever they had been doing in the first place.

As the starship flew rapidly towards the Federation ships, Mace could see that Olié was sweating hard, and opening and closing his mouth rapidly. Finally, he spoke up.

"Master Jedi, we are going to be blasted out into space if I keep going. Right now, we are at the edge of the blockade." When Olié finished, Mace nodded. _No wonder Kaj calls him 'Captain Obvious', he acts as if we're all blind and batty. Now now, Mace, keep your cool. You're a member of the Jedi Council for a reason, don't do something so rash that they think Obi-Wan needs to go back to Qui-Gon Jinn, who's even wackier than me!_

"Keep on course, Mr. Olié," he ordered calmly.

"But sir –!"

"Do it!" he barked, glowering at the slightly balding man. Olié flinched.

"Aye, Master Jedi," he mumbled, keeping his slightly quavering hands on the controls.

Soon, they were in the midst of the blockade, barely keeping their ship steady as lasers flew past. Some hit the ship's buckling shields, while others just barely missed and ended up scarring the side. Suddenly, the ship rocked, and a red light came on the dashboard as an alarm sounded.

"Kaj!" yelled Olié. "The shields are down! Send out our astromech droids!"

"Sending out astromech droids, sir," Kaj replied crisply, punching an array of buttons with incredible speed. Soon, the droids appeared on the viewscreen. As almost everyone watched the events outside, the droids took out little gadgets from inside themselves and started creating sparks. Then came along some unexpected visitors.

"Droid fighters, incoming," Kaj shouted, panic flitting across his face. "They're aiming at our droids, sir! We're losing them by the minute!" Sure enough, as the fighters swooped down, firing at the droids, several astromechs were hit, and even more were sent flying off into space. Olié shook his head.

"At this rate, all the astromechs are going to be gone, and we're going to be floating space particles," he stated, pessimism controlling his tone. Mace glared once the pilot turned back to his console.

"Pessimistic, understatement-of-the-century guy," he muttered under his breath. "Why oh why did I have to choose him, to pilot _this_ ship of all places?" Obi-Wan glanced over at his master to offer a knowledgeable smirk. Before Mace could tell him off, however, the red light and alarm turned off, and the white interior was restored.

"The little blue guy did it!" Kaj yelled excitedly. "Look! Our shields are restored to max capacity, and we're almost in the clear." Olié favored him with a sharp look; however, Kaj just shrugged and went back to what he was doing at his station. _Remind me to give the guy a recommendation_, he thought to himself.

/_**Who?**_/ his padawan asked, puzzled. /_**Mr. Pessimistic-Understating-Old-Baldy dude?**_/

/_**Of course not**_/ Windu replied. /_**He is a danger to us normals in the universe.**_/ His padawan snickered, only evident through their mental connection.

/_**Master**_/ the youth replied. /_**You are a danger to all who come in contact, corrupting nearly every single poor little being like me, and here you are complaining about a guy who looks almost like you. Are you two cousins or something?**_/

/_**Be careful what you think, my young learner**_/ Mace stated. /_**Otherwise, you're going to be locked in a room twelve feet underground with the pilot for about a year and a half.**_/

/_**Master, you wouldn't!**_/ Obi-Wan protested.

/_**Yes, I would. Or lock you up with Quiggy here for two years.**_/ Silence filled the bond.

/_**Okeday, I'll go with the pilot instead.**_/ Mace chuckled.

"Smart padawan," he said, ruffling Obi-Wan's spikes before checking another on-board computer. "The hyperdrive's leaking," he stated. "We won't be able to make it to Coruscant on this." Obi-Wan walked over to look at the figures.

"We'll need to find a star system nearby, as we don't really want to run out and end up floating in space for weeks," he said, walking over to another viewscreen and started touching keys.

"But where can we go so that we won't be recognized?" Olié asked doubtfully.

"Here, Master." Mace looked up from the screen he was studying and strode over to where Obi-Wan was standing. "Tatooine is the nearest system. It's not controlled by the Federation; we should be safe there."

"Whom is it controlled by?" Kaj asked, perking up.

"The Hutts," Qui-Gon muttered, coming to stand by them

"The HUTTS?!!!" Panaka, who had just arrived in the cockpit, was furious. "You can't send Her Highness there! If the Hutts discover her –"

"It won't be any different than how the Federation might treat her," Mace said over his shoulder. He came to stand in front of Panaka, and smiled grimly. "However, the Hutts aren't looking for her, which gives us an advantage." Panaka blew out a breath and all but ran from the cockpit. Obi-Wan tried not to smile as Mace motioned for him to follow.

_We don't really have much of a choice, _he thought, exhausted. _Unless we want to take a risk and land at another planet, and besides, the hyperdrive didn't really have much left in her. _However, he couldn't shake the feeling, as he lay down on a sleep couch that something was going to happen there. Something, which would, inevitably, lead to something far more dangerous and trying. Something, that if not prepared for accordingly, would foretell far more peril than merely the Federation and its droves of clanking disasters.

He hated feeling this way. Worse, he knew nothing could change it; they could only watch it all play out. And it all tied to how one person dealt with it all.

Qui-Gon.

_Yes, Quiggy is always the bad guy, I know. Well, if he HADN'T decided to throw out poor ole' Obi and take on Anakin, well.... Just review, please!_


	9. Chapter 9 I have to stay behind?

_Well, here's the ninth chapter in this series. Let me know about how it is, alright?_

_Disclaimer: You all know it, I know it......so there! :D_

As they arrived in Tatooine's orbit, Obi-Wan, at the urging of his master, gently tapped Ric Olié on the shoulder to get up from the pilot's chair. When the captain stared openly at him, Obi-Wan shrugged and smiled.

"I'll take over here, Captain," he assured. However, the pilot wouldn't so easily give up the chair. Obi-Wan nearly had to threaten to shove the captain off before he would finally relinquish the command chair. Mace tried not to smile while Qui-Gon inwardly reflected that the boy still retained some immaturity within himself.

As they neared the dusty landscape, Obi-Wan's sure hands manned the controls while he looked questioningly at his master. Mace gave him a look that said "you-will-wait-patiently-or-else" look. Obi-Wan nodded acquiescingly. Soon, they were coming up to a city almost hidden by the sands.

"We'll land on the outskirts over here, outside Mos Espa," Mace directed Obi-Wan's attention as he pointed to a small viewscreen alongside some controls. His apprentice nodded and gently eased the controls as he started landing procedures.

As Mace stepped back, Qui-Gon whispered, "Mace, who'll go into the city to look for the hyperdrive?"

"Obi-Wan and I will handle it," Mace answered confidently. Qui-Gon didn't look too thrilled with that.

"Mace, I think I should accompany you there, and Obi-Wan should stay here." Mace definitely didn't like that suggestion.

"Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan's learned languages, some so obscure, that I've learned to never leave him behind, or otherwise, I end up in hot water, and he ends up having to rescue me." Master Jinn shrugged angrily.

"Well, at least one Jedi has to stay behind to protect the ship in case something happens," he retorted. While the two Masters were arguing, Obi-Wan shifted uncomfortably. He didn't like the fact that the two were arguing over him again.

"Do they always argue like this?" A feminine voice, sounding really too close for comfort, nearly startled him. Controlling himself, he turned and saw a familiar brown-haired girl there.

"Er – hello," he replied, causing her smile slightly. "I saw you cleaning the blue droid earlier. Your name is –?"

"Padmé," she replied, flipping her solitary braid over her shoulder. "I'm one of the Queen's handmaidens."

"Nice to meet you, Padmé." He grinned at her. "I'm Obi-Wan Kenobi, Padawan to Mace Windu." Her face suddenly scrunched up in concentration.

"The black, baldy guy over there arguing with long-haired dude?" Obi-Wan, trying not to smile at her description of his master but not quite succeeding, nodded. She looked amazed.

"Then who's that long-haired guy who's cranky almost all the time?" Obi-Wan's smile nearly fell off his face.

"That's…that's Qui-Gon, my former master," he answered quietly. Padmé looked mystified; he merely shrugged. "The ship has landed," he said to no one in particular.

"Obi-Wan!" Mace called over to him. "Come here, please." Padmé was about to question him some more right then, but he mouthed, _I'll tell you later_. She was appeased…at that moment.

"Obi-Wan," Mace said, lowering his voice as his apprentice came nearer. "Qui-Gon doesn't want you to go with us, so you'll stay here. However," he held up a hand, forestalling any comment by Obi-Wan, "I forced him to agree to bring Jar Jar along, so it should be alright with you." Obi-Wan nodded and grinned.

"Sure, Master. I was just about to suggest that," he said impishly. Mace smiled down at him.

"Just make sure you give him a waterproof comlink. Last time when he couldn't remember something in Rodian, he tried to contact you to ask for your help; however the comlink had dropped out of his hands onto the puddle-strewn ground, and, as luck would have it, it fell in one of the deepest and shorted out." Mace chuckled at the newly awakened memory. "We had to rely on our datapads after that!" Obi-Wan laughed along, grinning widely as he remembered sensing his master's panic, and his sadness that he couldn't do a thing about it, as it had been one of those undercover missions.

"I'll go prepare him." Winking at Mace, he left the cockpit. Padmé, after watching him carefully leave, went up to the Jedi Master and cleared her throat. He raised an eyebrow, which prompted her to ask, "Master Windu, if I may be so bold in asking, I would like to accompany you to this…Mos Espa." Before he could say anything, she hurried on.

"I may be a Queen's handmaiden, but I can quite assure you that she will be interested about this planet," she said calmly. "Also, I know quite a few languages, and perhaps could help the Gungan, and serve you guys in the process." The Jedi Master merely sighed, but Padmé could tell when she had won.

"Alright, you may tag along," Mace told her. "However, if you are causing us any significant problems, you will immediately return to the ship either with Master Jinn or me as your guide." She straightened her shoulders; she knew when she was being tested.

"I won't fail you, Master Windu," she replied sternly, but inside she was quaking with excitement. She would be able to go along with the Jedi, and get to see this strange, desert-covered world. Suddenly, her heart fell; Obi-Wan wasn't able to go along with them, and all because of this long-haired Master Jinn.

_When I get back_, she vowed silently. _I am going to tell him everything about this planet. Poor guy needs a friend; someone at least _somewhat _close to his age to befriend him!_ Grinning slightly at the thought, she went to her shared handmaiden quarters to prepare, then let Sabé know where she was going, and for about how long she would have to keep up the charade.

**********

Obi-Wan grunted as he pulled up the hyperdrive to get a good look at it. Once he did, he nearly wished he hadn't. The state it looked in was worse than he had imagined. They would definitely need a new hyperdrive, as this one was completely shot. He winced as he sent a mental message to his master. /_**I've checked the hyperdrive, Master.**_/

Silence filled the empty space after the message was sent; he was worried he would have to send it again until he felt his master respond.

/_**And?**_/ The query relieved him, only temporarily until he wondered how he was going to say it. Finally –

/_**It looks worse than when my Jedi starship got completely demolished by a herd of banthas.**_/

/_**That bad, huh?**_/

/_**Totally shot, Master. You better hope you guys find one when you go into Mos Espa. I couldn't patch it up even if I wanted to.**_/

/_**Wow. Now we can't return with empty hands and somehow force you to patch it up again for us, huh?**_/ Obi-Wan couldn't help grinning.

/_**Nope, Master; sorry.**_/ He could practically hear his master sigh with exasperation, even though he was the only one in the room…for the moment.

/_**Obi-Wan**_/ the message was faintly reproving /_**you really should learn to just accept my torturing you…at least until you're old enough to become a Knight.**_/

/_**Really, Master? Sure? I mean, I'm sure that torturing padawans is strictly forbidden in the Code…somewhere.**_/

/_**Padawan…**_/

/_**Good luck, Master, on finding another hyperdrive. I'm going to find a suitable place to store this for the time being.**_/ The conversation took a serious turn, and they both knew it. However, they hated saying good-bye to one another, and preferred to say it another way, as in saying it but not saying it.

/_**Man**_/ Mace definitely sounded quite annoyed, even mad – not exactly a great mood for him to be in. /_**I'm going to make Qui-Gon regret making you stay behind, Obi-Wan Kenobi. Right now, besides the two of us, there's Jar Jar, Padmé - **_/

/_**The handmaiden?**_/

/_**Yep, and she's only tagging along for specific reasons which I shall not name.**_/ Yep. His master definitely didn't sound happy at all. /_**Also, the little blue droid – R2-D2, I think – is also coming along. Qui-Gon's not at all happy about that**_/ definite satisfaction sounded from his master's end /_**but he'll live. 'Sides, he drags along his own pathetic lifeforms anyways.**_/ Obi-Wan chuckled.

/_**May the Force be with you, my master**_/ he thought, still smiling.

/_**And with you, my padawan**_/ Mace answered from his end. Chuckling, Obi-Wan returned his attention to the hyperdrive, and to where he should move it at the moment, to (hopefully) prepare for the next hyperdrive. He decided to keep it there for the moment, as he didn't want to move anything else until he knew exactly where every single kind of tool and piece of equipment was and belonged.

_Just hope Master can keep Master Jinn from getting themselves in trouble, and Jar Jar from getting everyone in trouble,_ he thought, trying to (unsuccessfully) keep himself from laughing. He finally indulged himself a little, glad that the room was unoccupied, and returned to the hyperdrive. Even though it wasn't able to function properly, there was some useful metal in there that could be recycled, and more for repairs. It was a good thing to be prepared for something, even if it was most unlikely to happen in the near future.

However, nothing could possibly prepare him – much less the others – for the events brought on by the Force, which would catch them up as if in a whirlwind and leave them all dazed by it all. Only one man could possibly change the events to come, but if and when he made his discovery, he would be most reluctant, even perhaps hostile, to do so. Obi-Wan sensed that, somehow, it was a good thing that he was Master Windu's apprentice instead of Qui-Gon's, and also that he wasn't there, accompanying his master to Mos Espa.

He couldn't possibly know at that moment, even in the days following, how right that feeling was.

_Well, after reading it over and over and over again, I still feel that it's completed, and that it's right that I'm publishing this. Please review to let me know if I was correct, or if I need to redo this chapter/add more on, okeday? :D You know you want to. ;D_


	10. Chapter 10 I have to do all the talking?

_Chapter 10 is here! Everyone, all you dear readers, sorry it took so long. I had ideas in my head that needed to be worked out gradually, which created this chapter. Hope you like! Any errors, please PM me or review to tell me of them, 'kay? _

_Disclaimer: Too tired, why bother? You know it, I know it, blah blah blah..._

_I hate sand._ For the past hour and a half, Master Mace Windu could hardly get the thought out of his head. _I hate it. It gets in my boots, in my clothes, under my skin, and nearly everywhere where I don't want it to be. I especially hate the sand even more since I'm travelling in it with HIM._ He glanced over at Qui-Gon, who suddenly appeared interested in the town that they were about to bump into. He grinned; he bet the Jedi Master was as uncomfortable as he was, and probably even more so.

_He better be feeling remorse for not bringing Obi-Wan, if he doesn't when we meet the locals. I wish he wouldn't act as if it was all Obi-Wan's fault, which he is still doing, even after all these years._ As they neared the town, and came from being in the almost-abandoned outskirts to being in the center of traffic, he had to shield his eyes – and not just from the twin suns' glare, either. Tiny sand hovels were scattered around in no particular order, and most were clustered with their backs all joined in the middle. No recognizable words of any kind were to be seen, just peculiar figures on the metal signs hanging, attached to the tops of the sand-and-mud huts.

As Mace looked closer, however, he discovered that it was the written form of Huttese – the language of the Hutts. A corner of his mouth lifted up; he knew he could read it, but could Qui-Gon do the same? _Obviously not_, he thought, smirking as his fellow Jedi squinted at the signs and turned every which way, his sweat-dampened hair flapping against his back. _At the very least, he certainly _acts_ like he's lost._

"Master Windu," the young woman shuffled her feet over to walk beside him, "how are we going to find a working hyperdrive for milady's ship in this dusty, hoodlum-filled place?" He smiled down at her.

"Don't worry," he whispered conspiratorially. "Trust me, Obi-Wan and I have visited a lot of these places – dusty, worn down, and filled with a motley collection of farmers, rough-looking drunkards with not a lick of sense in their brains, scheming gamblers who haven't a cent to their name, and of course, bounty hunters."

"Bounty hunters?!!" Padmé's face looked worried as she looked around behind and to the sides, trying to see if anyone was following them with a gun pointed at one of their heads. Master Windu gave her a comforting smile.

"Don't worry," he said. "Masters Jinn and I will protect you from any danger. After all, handmaiden, we are Jedi." She gave him one of the quirkiest grins he had ever seen.

"Well then, Master Jedi," she said, grinning brazenly up at him, "you should know better by now. As I told your apprentice earlier, my friends call me Padmé, and I would really appreciate if you did the same." He raised an eyebrow, but couldn't help the grin working at the corners of his mouth at her boldness.

"Well, Padmé, if I'm going to call you by your first name, then you should call me by mine." He smirked a little. "I am known by all friends, fellow Jedi Masters, and even my apprentice when he's acting all smart as 'Mace.'"

"Just 'Mace?'" He nodded. "Okay. Well, Mace, do you know where we're going?" He nodded.

"Yes; see that sign up above that little sand hut over there?" She squinted.

"To the left of the street ahead? The one with the sign with the weird squiggles on it?" He suppressed a smile.

"Yep. Now, those so-called squiggles mean, 'Watto's Junk Shop.' That, Padmé, is where we'll find your hyperdrive."

"You can read those streaks?" He nodded. "Wow! I wish I knew how to read…well, whatever kind of language is up there."

"That's Huttese," he said, pointing up to the sign. "It's not commonly used, so it's not unusual that you don't know it, or even haven't seen it before. It's commonly used by smugglers and thieves, however, not to mention the Hutts." He smirked again, this time wider. "In fact, Obi-Wan and I ended up having to learn it because our guides were giving us false information from Gardulla the Hutt, not to mention giving her the impression we were there to torture and kill her." His smile faded. "It ended up saving our hides, the Hutt's life, and we were able to stay on her good side." However, it seemed that, no matter how hard he tried to maintain a straight face and remain indifferent to the story he just told, Padmé still broke out into girlish giggling, something he expected to be from a regular schoolgirl rather than this grown woman. No matter how many times he gave her a stern look that said, 'Be quiet, and shut up so we don't cause a scene,' she still kept laughing, although she toned it down to a quiet chuckle after the ten stern glances she had received. He sighed again (he felt he was starting a new record for sighing in a day), and tapped Qui-Gon on the shoulder. The giant of a Jedi turned with a nonchalance Mace found himself wishing he had.

"We're going in there," he shouted over the noise, then pointed to make sure Qui-Gon knew where exactly 'it' was. The Jedi Master nodded and started heading for the building. Mace grabbed Jar Jar's arm with one hand and Padmé's with the other.

"Come on, Artoo," he called behind, craning his neck in order to see the little droid more clearly, and to see whether it was there or not. If it was, and wasn't following their tiny group, he'd personally reprogram the droid (_better yet, I'll make Obi-Wan do it_, he thought) once they returned to the ship, no matter how hard the others might complain. To his relief, he saw the little droid following close behind them, sending out an ear-piercing whistle to let them know he wasn't far behind. Mace gave him a grim smile.

"Come on, you two," he said to the two beings he was escorting to the junkshop. "We have to catch up to Qui-Gon in order to find the hyperdrive. And don't tug away; if we don't stick together, you two could very well get lost in this seedy place." Jar Jar tried to pull an innocent face.

"Whosa gitten lost? Not mesa, Master Wendu. Mesa issen a good Gungan, a spwendid tracker en wunnerful memory. Mesa would never get lost, Master Wendu." Master Windu tried hard not to smile as he led the two through the small doorway of the shop, hunkering down in order to make it through.

"Perhaps, Jar Jar, but we wouldn't want to lose a translator, now would we? After all, if you get lost, I'll be the only one left to translate what they're saying. Now hurry up." With that, he yanked the Gungan through by the waist and set him up straight. However, that didn't do much for the little spots in Jar Jar's vision, nor for his faltering, uneasy balance.

"Ooh, mesa seesen stars, Master Wendu. Pwetty stars, thesem are. Can mesa go and catchsen zem?"

"Not now, Jar Jar," Mace replied, helping Padmé through the tiny opening, and using the Force to guide the droid. "We're here, and I need you to stay with us." He grabbed Jar Jar's shoulder to steady the Gungan. "Definitely both physically and mentally." He looked up in time to see a wrinkled, blue-skinned creature flying towards them, its wings going faster than the average rate for a hyperdrive. _A Toydarian_, he thought, straightening as it greeted them with, "Hi chuba da naga?" Qui-Gon blinked.

"Wha-?" he started before Mace cut him off.

"Gooddé da lodia," he said formally, spreading his hands out in a gesture of peace. The Toydarian's mouth hung wide open; he had to shake himself before continuing with the conversation, which Qui-Gon was now officially excluded from.

"Chowbaso," he replied, nodding towards Mace with an air reserved for only those who were influential, or seemed influential in his opinion. "Dolpee kikyuna. Kee chai chai cun kuta?"

"Mi bosco de pawa che bota," Mace replied, waving Artoo forward to join their conversation. "/My droid has the parts we need here in his databanks. Let's go further in your shop so that you may get the list/"

"/Okay/" As they walked to the back of the shop with Artoo following them (or, in the creature's case, flew), they continued to converse in Huttese as Qui-Gon, Jar Jar, and Padmé looked on, the former amazed by his friend's talent.

"/I am called Mace by those who know me. What is your name? /"

"/I'm Watto. I own this yard, and have a greater collection of spare parts than anywhere else in this city. You could even ask around if you wanted to. /"

"/No, thank you; I'm more interested in what you have to offer me here, Watto. /"

"/Well, if you will have your, um, droid come here and plug itself into the wall, we will soon see what you need. I am quite confident that I will have what you need. /"

"/I hope so, Watto, for your sake at least. /"

"/If my boy was here, he could be doing this for me, however as he is not… /" As the conversation moved on to the back of the shop and out of sight (but not hearing), Qui-Gon inhaled deeply. He looked over at both Padmé and Jar Jar, who looked at each other, then at him with both eyebrows raised.

"Perhaps we should remain here and wait for Master Windu to return," he answered, in response to their unasked questions. The human female and the Gungan nodded; she sat cross-legged on the floor while he grabbed a chair. They sat in silence, each occupied within the adventures of their own mind, until a very loud and attention-wrenching squeak caught their attentions. All three leapt to their feet.

"What was that?" Padmé asked cautiously, looking around for any possible intruder. Qui-Gon reached out with the Force, trying to locate the spot where the noise had been heard from. As he searched, he spotted the Force-signature of a child, crouching near the doorway behind and beside. At first, he merely looked it over, but was soon forced to recognize it as it flared more openly and more brightly than any other Jedi's signature. _Even Master Yoda's,_ he thought. _Not to mention Obi-Wan Kenobi. _

"Hello," he said, not bothering to turn around. The boy, he sensed, jumped in fright, but recovered quickly and retorted, "Hello." Then, with a bit more curiosity, "Are you here for spare parts?"

"Yes, we are," Padmé replied, turning around to face him boldly, and nearly got the shock of her life. His pale face, nearly overshadowed by the shaggy blondness hanging there, was merely inches from hers. As she looked closer, she saw that he had light blue eyes and freckles spattering the area underneath his eyes. _Wow. The kid's adorable,_ she thought after a little more reflection. _Wonder what his name is? Can't be more than eight years old._

"What are your names," he asked, staring at each of them with such intensity that Padmé blushed. Qui-Gon smiled down at him.

"I am Master Qui-Gon, and these are my travelling companions: Jar Jar Binks, a Gungan, and Padmé, handmaiden." The little boy held out his hand for her to shake, then Jar Jar, and finally Qui-Gon, who looked at him curiously when he shook the child's hand.

"Pleased to meet you," the boy commented, shuffling the shaggy sand-blond hair out of his eyes. "My name is Anakin. Anakin Skywalker."

_Well, hope it was nice and long-like enough for you. Please review, and hope you enjoyed it. J.A.U._


	11. Chapter 11 I'm the one in trouble?

_Alright, so here's the next chapter! Sorry, sorry, sorry to the tenth power for not updating sooner. I've been so busy as this is my junior year at my high school, so...yeah. REALLY sorry about that. Anyway, hope you like chapter 11 of this story._

_Disclaimer: SO not mine, you all know this already, so why do I even bother...? Oh wait, I might get sued. Right. NEVER MIND. ;-)_

Qui-Gon squinted at the child, a dusty, sandy-haired boy. _He's probably around eight or nine, a traditional youngling's age_, he thought.

"Anakin Skywalker?" he asked. The boy nodded. "And do you help Watto out here in his shop?" Anakin threw back his head and gave a bark of laughter, sliding down onto his knees to sit cross-legged on the floor.

"Hah! I'm his slave," he replied shortly. Then, as if sensing Qui-Gon's thoughts, he automatically said, "But I help him here in the shop too." He peered closely, beyond the thin, yellow bangs covering his face. He could see by the look on the man's face that he was uncomfortable, and yet not repulsed by his behavior. Encouraged, he continued. "I'm very good with technical stuff, Mister. Perhaps, if you're waiting…"

Qui-Gon pointed to the far end of the room. "My companion has found it and I believe they are bargaining." The boy frowned.

"Rats!" he exclaimed, punching the air in slight frustration. "I could've helped you otherwise."

"Perhaps you still can," Padmé said before Qui-Gon could reply. She gave him a look that said, _Keep quiet; I know what I'm doing_. He shut his mouth obligingly. She continued. "Do you know where we can get food here on this planet? I'm starving, and my friends are too nice to say anything to the contrary." The child brightened almost immediately.

"Sure! Come with me," Anakin grinned, almost shooting up off the floor. The others followed Padmé's lead as she rose, dusted the sand off her leggings, and ducked underneath the low doorway to follow the boy outside into the bright sunlight. As Anakin led them into the marketplace, towards an old friend's stall, a pair of eyes trailed his movements, glimmering with malicious intent.

"This is my friend, Zuama," he said. "Zuama, meet my new friends Padmé, Master Qui-Gon, and Jar Jar Binks."

"They've never been here before," Zuama observed, having to squint to study them. "My old eyes are not what they have been," she remarked, face drooping. Anakin ran to the other side of the stall and gave her a hug.

"It's alright, Zuama," he said, grinning up at her. "Once I get your droid fixed, like I promised, you won't have to worry as much about your things going astray." The ancient woman gave him a hug.

"Thank you, Annie," she said, her eyes shining. "I know you'll get Lantern up and running again." Padmé turned to Anakin, confused.

"Lantern?" she asked. He nodded.

"She names her droids," he stated, shuffling the shaggy blond locks out of his eyes. "She calls this one 'Lantern' because it helps her to find the stuff she's lost."

"A light to guide my way around," Zuama called out. Padmé turned to give her a look of surprise. "My eyes may not be what they used to be, dearie," the elderly widow explained, "but my hearing is still as sharp as ever." The teenager smiled.

"How do you make your living, Zuama?" she asked, with a tiny hint of curiosity.

"I sell fruits here that I grow in my own home." As if to prove it, Zuama tapped the edge of a wicker framework. It surrounded the top part of her stall, and there were several strings of small, colorful fruits. Padmé took this all in with amazement; she had been so wrapped up in Anakin and the old lady's conversation that she hadn't noticed. Anakin noticed her eyeing the fruit, and that gave him an idea.

"Zuama, could I please take four juma fruit for my friends and myself?" He dug in his pocket for the coins he had received earlier that day. There was…one…two…three…

_Oh crap_, he thought, digging deeper to see if he had any more coins. _No, I counted right, unfortunately. There's only enough for three…oh well, I just won't have one_.

"Make that three, please." He pushed the coins forward, not daring to look up. "I'm not hungry." The woman received the coins and plucked three fruit off of the rack to give to his friends. As the man, the bearded one, reached for his fruit, Anakin noticed something silvery and shiny underneath.

_A lightsaber_, he thought excitedly. _I'll bet that he's a Jedi, one of those guardians the old pilot was talking about. If so, then what's he doing on this junk ball?_ He immediately brought himself back to reality as he saw Qui-Gon turn towards him, no doubt to ask him something. However, something tugged at his mind, a shout reached his ears, and he sidled over to see what was going on.

The Gungan had wandered over to a meat seller, and at once spied something he liked. Using his long, sticky tongue, he shot it out and grabbed the piece of meat. The seller did not like that, and yelled at him in Huttese. Unable to reply as his mouth was full, he wandered away, and pretended to not understand.

Unfortunately, a Dug had seen the whole thing. Now, this particular Dug was a friend of the meat seller. Not only did he not appreciate his friend being ripped off, he also had a sore spot against offworlders in general. He made his way through the crowd, shoving those too slow to get out of his way. Soon, he was right behind the offworlder. His lip curled. _Time to make my move_…

Jar Jar had no idea what hit him, except that it was hard enough to knock him on his face. He looked up, and lurched. _Mesa no like sand_, he thought, spitting the mouthful he had gained. _Itsen too gritty en dry_. He turned around, and noticed a mean-looking creature glaring at him. The poor Gungan tried to scramble away. _Misters Mace won't be very happy wit mesa_.

"Hey, slimeball," the Dug yelled, launching himself forward to kick the Gungan in the face. Jar Jar went down again. As he did so, he noticed that the creature, a Dug he now recalled, had two pairs of arms (not counting his two legs), which, as Mace had told him previously, were deadly if he'd ever get into a fight. Well, he was in a fight with one. _Even thoughs it's not mesa fault that I got into this_, he thought. _Why does thissen almost always happens to mesa?_

He ducked as the Dug swung again, but wasn't fast enough to duck the third swing. As the Gungan went down, his tormentor walked forward to grab his shirt. "Hey, sleemo," the creature barked. "/Open your eyes, bantha poop/"

When Jar Jar heard the voice, he immediately opened his eyes. Giving him the evil eye, snarling as if there was no tomorrow was the Dug, with a smile so evil the Gungan was sure he was going to be lunch. He shut his eyes. _Oh crap, oh crap… Mesa is gonna get pummeled._ _Goodbye world… _he thought. _Thats meat sure was tasty, thoughs_. He clenched his teeth and braced for impact, feeling a breath of air as a bony fist rushed towards his head, aiming for a heavy knockout.

_Ooh, what's going to happen to Jar Jar? Got it planned already, no worries. Thanks to everyone who reviewd last chappie. Please do so again. Btw, Master Windu did explain to Jar Jar about Dugs. It didn't register until later, however. R&R, please!_


	12. Chapter 12 We can't go back?

_Sorry this is late. It took a while in coming, especially since I'm in a Creative Writing class this semester, and right now, school's almost done, and there's more homework than there was LAST WEEK, and... ... ... *sigh*_

_Disclaimer: You know it, I know it... hey, I am NOT going to type it over and over again!_

"Hey, sleemo!" Jar Jar opened his eyes. Standing behind the Dug was the small, sandy-haired boy from before.

"Ooh, Annie!" he yelled excitedly, leaping up to hug the boy. He stopped short, however, when the Dug whipped around and punched him in the gut. "Owowowowow!" the Gungan squeaked, crumpling to the ground again.

"/What do you want, slave?/" the Dug barked to Anakin. "/Doesn't Watto keep you busy enough?/"

"/Careful, Sebulba./" The boy smirked. "/I'd hate to see you beaten down to a bloody pulp before we even get a chance to race each other./"

"/Ha!/" Sebulba was furious. "/Next time we race, I'll grind you into the sand. Lucky for you, I can't do it now!/" He spat at the boy, then turned and shoved his way out of the onlookers, who quickly turned back to their own business.

"Yeah," Anakin muttered, helping Jar Jar up. "It would be such a pity if you had to pay for me."

"Anakin!" Turning, the boy saw Padmé and Qui-Gon Jinn running towards him. Relief coursed throughout him.

"Hey," the boy said, acting nonchalant. "I had to save your friend here from becoming a worm buffet."

"Hey!" Jar Jar was indignant. "Mesa was just tasten ze food from over der." He pointed to where the seller was talking with the Dug. Qui-Gon shook his head.

"Jar Jar, you must be more careful," he admonished. "Next time, use a little common sense."

"That's right," Anakin cut in. "The guy he tangled with was Sebulba, and he's also a Dug. They can beat the crap out of any being any day, over anything. One time, I saw this one spacer guy tease him behind his back, and man, once Sebulba found out, was he beaten to a bloo–"

"Thank you, Anakin," Padmé said quickly, not wanting to hear the rest. "Now, Mace, we must get back to our ship to discuss this over." A corner of the Jedi Master's mouth twitched.

"Certainly, Padmé."

"Wait." Anakin looked from one to the other, comprehension dawning on his face. "You guys have a _spaceship_?"

"Yes," Mace replied, one side of his mouth slanting upwards. "A Nubian cruiser –"

" – which we desperately need parts for," Qui-Gon finished. "It seems that Watto's got what we need, though he's very stubborn and refusing to sell it to us. Is there anyone else who has a hyperdrive for our ship?" Anakin slowly shook his head.

"As far as I know, Watto's got the only hyperdrive you'll ever find for your ship on this dusty sandball," he stated wryly. The wind picked up, brushing his hair away from his eyes. "Nubian parts are very rare around here. We mostly get parts from outdated cruisers, tiny smugglers ships, that sort of thing. We even get parts from… from…" He suddenly looked concerned and appeared to gaze beyond their small group.

"Oh shoot!" they heard him exclaim. He glanced towards them, his young face innocent. "How about you guys come over to my place before going back to your ship?"

"Thank you," Qui-Gon informed him. "However, it is imperative that we reach our ship immediately. We must make sure that everyone knows what…uh…"

"Trouble we've gotten ourselves in," Mace quickly supplied. Anakin shook his head, determined.

"There's a sandstorm that's coming, and it's going to reach us before you guys could make it back," he stated with concern. "Trust me; you guys really should come to my house to wait it out."

"Will your parents mind?" Padmé asked. The boy shook his head.

"My mother won't mind!" he said enthusiastically. "'Sides, I bring my friends over almost all the time, and she hasn't minded them."

"What about your father?" the boy was quiet.

"Haven't got one," he said, shrugging his shoulders. Padmé bit her lip and ducked her head, embarrassed.

"We'll go with you, then." Mace said, breaking the silence. "If you're sure about your mother –"

"Of course I'm sure!" Though the outrage in his voice was minimal, he had sounded almost offended that they should question his knowledge about his mother.

"Then let's go." By now the winds had grown fiercer, stinging everything in its path with thousands of sandy grains. The two Jedi Masters, herded gently everyone in front of them, drawing their cloaks around themselves to block out most of the sand. As they followed the boy, he seemed unfazed as he led them to his house in the very storm which he had warned them against walking through.

_He is certainly an _unusual_ boy_, Mace mused, using the Force to probe the area around them to make sure they were not being followed by any…unsavory character. _I hope we'll get the chance to learn more about him. That is, providing we don't get lost first._

He could've sworn he had heard a chuckle from brown-and-bearded plodding along right next to him.

Nute Gunray paced nervously on the bridge of his Trade Federation cruiser. He really, really, _really_ hated reporting to Sidious. The fact that almost everything had gone wrong except the invasion made the upcoming 'chat' seem almost unbearable.

Behind him, he heard a chiming noise from the holograph projector, indicating that someone – namely _him_ – wanted to talk.

_Rather impatient, too_, he thought, turning to face the projector while straightening his already-immaculate robes. _Well, he _is _a Sith lord. I guess he's granted the right to be impatient with anyone and everyone, not to mention killing those who have made too many mistakes_. He nodded at the technician standing beside the projector. She pressed a button, allowing the image to spring out from the top and stretch to life. _As long as it's not me_.

"Well, Viceroy." Gunray started, then quickly tried to regain his composure. "Has everything gone as planned?" He couldn't have helped it; he was so nervous that he was amazed he hadn't gone crazy yet. The viceroy gulped.

"Ah, yes, about that," he began, trying to appear and sound nonchalant. "The invasion has gone with little resistance so far. We have captured the major cities, including the capital with the queen. My troops – OUR troops," he added hastily, noticing Sidious' dark look, "will move on to the outskirts to add the towns and villages to our collection."

"Very good," the Sith said, nodding his head. "Once you've got the entire population under control, search the swamps for those lowlanders – mostly primitive species – whom you have my permission to crush into dust. We have no use for them."

"It will be done, my lord."

"One more thing." Gunray froze. "Has the Queen signed our treaty?"

"Uh… Queen Amidala is… well… she's gone, my lord."

"GONE?" Sidious roared. The Neimoidian cringed.  
"Y-yes, my lord," he stammered. "A Naboo cruiser managed to get past our blockade, with the Queen and… the, uh… the missing Jedi on board. The Queen and several others were reported missing down on the planet by our droids minutes later." The Sith lord's mouth, as everything else was completely obscured by his hood, tightened into an almost-obscure line.

"You must find them."

"But, but my lord, we have no clue where they have gone. It is impossible to track them; we cannot find their ship."

"Not for a Sith lord." Another hooded being came into projection range, crossing his arms as his eyes (were they yellow? wondered the Viceroy) swept across both Neimoidians and the space beyond. "Nute Gunray and Rune Haako, meet my apprentice, Darth Maul. He will find your missing ship."

"What if he –"

"He WILL find your missing ship." Darth Sidious looked way too irritated already, and he sure sounded like he could find some relief in lopping someone's head off. Gunray felt he might as well make his lordship's day a bit easier, and keep his own life just a little longer.

"Of course, my lord."

"Good. After he finds them, he bring them to you. The Queen and everyone else except the Jedi are yours to torture and kill as you like, after she signs our treaty, of course. The Jedi will be dealt with by my apprentice."

"As you wish." The hologram flickered off. The two Neimoidians looked at each other, silent.

Finally, Rune Haako spoke up. "This is all your fault, Gunray. We should not have made a deal with this sith lord. _You_ should not have made it. And now – now there are _two_ of them." The viceroy sighed and shrugged.

"That is what happens when one deals with sith lords," he responded harshly. "What did you expect?" _What _did_ I expect_, the viceroy wondered. Yes, the money, wealth, and power promised him by Darth Sidious definitely made the matter of invasion worth dealing with the dark sider. However, having two sith lords at the same time made him want to rethink his priorities. Somewhat.

"If we go back on our agreement with Sidious, we will all be dead," Nute Gunray rasped, turning his back on the other Neimoidian as he exited the bridge. "Think of the profit we can get out of this, my friend."

"The profit is worthless if we're selling our souls in order to get it," Rune Haako said angrily. "I'd rather die now than have to deal with those two Sith lords later." The doors hissed shut behind the viceroy.

All was quiet on the bridge.

_Is it good? Is it bad? Is it long enough? Well, whatever... I still want you guys to review (please)!_


	13. Chapter 13 I owe you one?

_Sorry this took so long. I finally had time to update this, so update I did. I'll try to be quicker the next time. :-)_

_Disclaimer: Yeah, yeah... mine this is not. :-P_

"Mom, I'm home!" called Anakin. The howling of the wind subsided as Qui-Gon led the way into the humble home with Windu bringing up the rear. As the motley crew moved down the cramped entrance into a slightly bigger room, they brushed the sand from their clothes and hair. In Jar Jar's case, he whirled his floppy ears around while R2-D2 waited until they arrived in the room to wiggle back and forth.

"Annie!" His mother bounded into the room and embraced her son. "I was getting worried about you. Usually you get here before the sandstorms begin. Who are your friends?" She eyed the assortment of beings with wariness, with Mace she radiated distrust.

"They need parts to fix their ship, Mom. They're offworlders."

"I see." Her tone strayed dangerously close to the edge of a vibroknife. Qui-Gon stepped forward.

"Our apologies for coming at a disagreeable time. However, perhaps we can alleviate the situation." From underneath his cloak produced three food capsules. Mace brought out three as well, and handed them to Qui-Gon, who then handed them to the woman. Her look softened.

"Thank you." She sighed. "I apologize for being abrupt and rude, but –"

"You were concerned about feeding us," Mace interrupted. She gave him an irate glance. "Don't worry about giving us your rooms, either. We'll be fine out here."

"I'm glad." She studied him closely, eyes narrowing. "I was going to say, sir, before you interrupted me, that I need to talk to you for a moment privately." Anakin poked his mother's side.

"No worries, Mom. It's not him." She raised an eyebrow at her son.

"Are you sure?"

"Positive."

"Who?" The woman turned back to Mace, her body language less hostile.

"Kragg." Her tone was grim. "He's a slave trader from who-knows-where." She raised both eyebrows in skepticism, and Mace realized that it was directed at his garments. "He usually dresses gaudy, is loudmouthed, and very, very _good_."

"He steals the slaves from their masters and either has them help him with his illegal activities or sells them to other owners," Anakin continued. "He hasn't lost one yet from what I've heard. Must have something to deactivate our transmitters inside us or something."

"Transmitters?" Padmé asked.

"They're put inside us to make sure we stay with our owners, or else!"

"What happens if you –"

"Back to Kragg," Mace redirected the conversation to the woman. "Why did you think I was him?"

"Because you and he are both black and about the same height." She turned to Qui-Gon. "Do you know him? Can you vouch for his authenticity?" Qui-Gon looked wryly at Mace. The latter gritted his teeth. _Qui-Gon, may the Force so help you if_ you_ don't help me_.

"He is a good friend of mine, and trust me; he's not Kragg, miss – excuse me, but your name is?"

"If you vouch for him, fine. For some odd reason, I trust you." Her glare dared the maverick Jedi to prove otherwise. "As for my name, I am called Shmi. You've already met my son." She gestured to Anakin.

"Thank you, Shmi, for the shelter… and your trust," Mace said. She nodded. At least she wasn't trying to fry him with her stare again… yet. "If I may ask, why are you afraid Kragg will come here?"

"He only takes the brightest and the best of the slaves," she replied. "He also takes the youngest."

"That's so he can retrain them for whatever he wants." Anakin rejoined the conversation. "He's stolen several kids from here, come to think of it."

"He also desires kids who appear to have special 'talents.'" The woman looked worriedly at her son. Qui-Gon and Mace looked at each other.

"So if Kragg appeared, you're afraid your son would disappear," Qui-Gon stated. Shmi bit her lip and looked away.

"But Kragg _isn't_ here," Anakin pointed out. "So why worry?"

"True." His mother's face lightened. "I'll start supper," she called as she ducked into a smaller room. Qui-Gon elbowed Mace in the ribs.

"You owe me," he whispered. Mace flushed. "We're going to play sabaac," the bearded one announced. The Council member allowed a small smile on his face.

"I'm going to rip you to shreds," he declared. One got out the deck and handed it to the other one, who began to shuffle it.

"Come on!" Anakin tugged at Padmé's hand. "I'll show you my droid I'm working on. You can come too," he added, seeing the hesitant Gungan. The three traipsed off, with R2-D2 rolling right behind.

The room was quiet.

"Fierfek, Mace." Qui-Gon glared at the Council member as he handed over several credits. "How did you get the idiot's array?"

* * *

"He's not finished yet."

"He's wonderful!" Padmé was impressed with the skill the boy showed. An unfinished android lay on a workbench, plating painfully nonexistent, with only one eye. How a slave boy could manage to build one of these without a manual let alone money for the parts astonished her. He definitely had resources.

"You sure?" Anakin bit his lip. "I made him to help Mom. He's a protocol droid. Just look!" He pressed a button. The droid's eye sparked to life, and its head twisted around to see its body jerking awkwardly. Then it caught sight of the two humans.

"Hello." It sat up straight, enunciating each word in prim, precise Basic. "I am See-Threepio, human-cyborg relations. How may I be of service?"

"He's perfect!" Padmé giggled. Anakin beamed proudly.

"See-Threepio can lift and move stuff," he explained. "He can speak millions of languages, give you directions on how to fix basic supplies, and communicate with other droids." The girl looked at the droid with renewed enthusiasm.

"Could he tell us what Artoo – my droid – is saying?" Padmé asked.

"Madam, I am programmed to understand _all_ droids," C-3PO stated matter-of-factly. "Especially the R-series units." Wanting to test it, Artoo rolled up and began beeping at the protocol droid.

"Oh, hello there!" Threepio bent slightly so he could see the droid better. "I am C-3PO, human-cyborg relations. And who might you be?"

_Whistle beep-oh-beep-eep_, replied the little droid.

"R2-D2. Pleased to meet you!" the protocol droid responded enthusiastically.

"Ani! Mealtime!" they heard his mother call from the kitchen.

"Okay, Mom!" he yelled back. He looked at Padmé.

"Come on!" Together they walked towards the kitchen, with Jar Jar bumbling after them. Artoo beeped.

"Of _course_ I can't come along," Threepio responded, irritated. "Can't you see that I have no functioning legs?" The R2 unit responded with a whistle and two bloops.

"I _don't_ see how you could have not noticed," the protocol droid responded huffily. "_Anyone_ could see I don't have legs." He used his arms to gesture before looking away. "And here I thought you would be _pleasant_ company."

Artoo emitted a long, mournful bleep.

_Review, please?_


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